Stalin's rise to power Unit 3 Flashcards
Who were the contenders for power?
Stalin
Trotsky
Tomsky
Rykov
Bukharin
Kamenev
Zinoviev
How did Stalin get rid of the others? Stalin’s political manoeuvrings to win
Trotsky undermined by the Triumvirate - Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev
Alliance with Bukharin advocating NEP, attacked by Zinoviev
Kamenev, Bukharin and Trotsky expelled from the party and Trotsky exiled
Abandoned Bukharin for rapid industrialisation, his supporters backed him.
Economic reasons Stalin won
NEP was not communist - Stalin initially supported it and compromised for the peasants but refused to do it twice
NEPman were becoming a richer class of peasants Lenin said NEP was temporary
1925 - workers living standards, declining
Peasants hoarding grain due to the low price
Permanent revolution versus socialism in one country - ideology why Stalin won
Left - Permanent revolution, the believe that Russian communism can’t survive alone and would need economic resources and a larger W/C
Right - the belief that world revolution is unlikely, preservation of the Soviet Union should be the priority, ‘socialism in one country’, the workers state would rival capitalist nations. In 1924 Stalin put this forward and showed Trotsky as out of touch.
Why the Great Turn?
No heavy industry made Russia weak
Modern war needed an industrial base to weapons
Self-sufficiency needed for heavy industry
Socialism could be achieved via mass industrialisation and making most of the population workers
Stalin needed to prove himself
Catch up with the West - industry, military and living and working conditions
Ideology and nature of leadership
Lenin - personality, authority and vision
Politiburo had the majority of power, from winning votes in the party congress, elected via the central committee. It wasn’t a battle of support from all the people but about support from the central committee
What was Lenin’s testament 1923?
He was critical of the main contenders - Trotsky - violent and arrogant, Zinoviev and Kamenev disloyal pre revolution, Stalin - rude and impatient, Bukharin - did not understand the ideology - the was suppressed - and Stalin benefited from this.
